Hydration is especially important on hot days (such as those we frequently experience in Caribbean countries), when you engage in strenuous physical activity, to flush out toxins from your body, to aid with digestion, and for healthy skin at the very least.

Water is considered to be the stuff of life and the essence of what keeps everything flowing. While that may be true, many health experts are clearing the air on the old 'eight glasses of water' adage.

What does this mean?

Although hydration is important, and water is mighty hydrating and great for all kinds of things, there's no real hard or fast rule here. There's no need for guilt-tripping if you drink less than 8 glasses (2-3 liters) of water a day.

This is because water isn't the only hydrating thing we consume. Practically every drink (eg. tea, coffee, alcohol, etc.) has some water in it. So does almost everything we eat.

We can consume water in a lot of ways other than by forcing down eight glasses of water. That is what being hydrated is about.

To add to this, not everyone has the same hydration needs. Someone who lives in a tropical climate and moves around often throughout the day (traveling, shopping, exercising, hiking, doing physical labor, being out in the direct heat of the sun, etc) has higher hydration needs than say, someone who lives in cooler climates and sits at a desk or chills out on the couch all day.

So what do we do?

Health experts may recommend 8 glasses or 2-3 liters of fluid a day as a guideline for general hydration requirements. Many will suggest that you opt for clear fluids if possible and avoid carbonated or artificially flavored beverages. At the end of the day, it is up to each of us to listen to our bodies (sometimes with expert help if necessary) and do what we can given our respective circumstances to promote our health.

Just remember that you can hydrate yourself adequately for your lifestyle without feeling forced to chug 8 glasses of H2O specifically. Don't intentionally avoid hydrating yourself though, as dehydration and over-hydration (hyponatremia) can be equally dangerous. All things in moderation.

I always thought that food and fruits contained some water but did not know how much it really was.

Someone also told me the 8 cups isn't what we follow. He said people need to consume a certain amount of litres relative to their mass but I do not remember what he said exactly. it seemed to make a lot of sense.

There is some speculation on that. I think it's half your weight and just add ounces to that to get the amount. Lifestyle and environmental factors play a big role in how much water each person needs too.

Yup, I try to eat when I'm hungry and drink when I'm thirsty and on some days that's enough, some days it's not enough, and some days I overdo it. For me it mostly depends on my state of health and what I'll be doing eg. how much energy I'll be using.